Editing Second Battle of New Mombasa

{{Status|Apocrypha}}
{{Semi-canon}}
{{Battle infobox
|prev=[[Battle of Mombasa]]
|conc=
|next=[[Battle of Voi]]
|name=Second Battle of Mombasa
|image=[[File:Believe diorama.jpg|300px]]
|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]
*[[Battle of Earth]]
|date=After [[2552#October|October 21, 2552]]<ref name="HPJC">[https://www.halopedia.org/Archive:Jake_Courage ''Halopedia'', Archive:Jake Courage]</ref> {{C|seven days}}<ref name="BM">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2AFUtuPFJE ''YouTube'', Museum]</ref>
|place=[[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]], [[Earth]]<ref name="XJake">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080416221850/http://www.xbox.com:80/en-GB/games/h/halo3/jakecourage.htm ''Xbox.com'', Jake Courage]</ref>
|result=Apparent UNSC victory{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}}
|side1={{Icon|UNSC HCW}} [[United Nations Space Command]]
|side2={{Icon|Covenant FB}} [[Covenant]]
|commanders1=
|commanders2=
|forces1=*[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
**[[77th Marine Regiment]]
**[[506th Tank Regiment]]
|forces2=*Ground forces
**[[Jiralhanae]]
**[[Mgalekgolo]]
**[[Unggoy]]
**[[Kig-Yar]]
**[[Deutoros-pattern Scarab|Scarab]]
*Numerous [[Covenant starship|warships]]<ref name=believead>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rridXskgWg ''Believe'', Ad]</ref>
**{{Pattern|Ket|battlecruiser}}s
|casual1=*Numerous infantry casualties{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}}
|casual2=*Numerous infantry casualties{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}}
|civilian1=*War photographer [[Jake Courage]]{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}}
|civilian2=
}}
The '''Second Battle of Mombasa'''{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}} was a bloody [[seven]]-day{{Ref/Reuse|BM}} engagement starting in [[2552#October|October 2552]] between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]] in the ruins and outskirts of the city of [[New Mombasa]], [[Kenya]], on [[Earth]].{{Ref/Reuse|HPJC}} It took place after the initial [[Battle of Mombasa]] with the remains of the [[Mombasa Tether]] scattered across the battlefield.<ref name="mombasa">[http://halo3.com/believe/test/shell.html ''Halo 3.com:'' Believe]</ref>

==Background==
===Prelude===
On October 20, 2552, the [[Prophet of Regret]], having suffered heavy casualties during [[Fleet of Sacred Consecration|his forces]]' invasion of [[Mombasa]], entered [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] from within the city, unleashing a powerful explosion that caused great damage - heavy enough to sever the city's [[Mombasa Tether|space tether]], causing its catastrophic collapse onto the surrounding savanna.<ref name="outskirts">''[[Halo 2]]'', campaign level, [[Outskirts]]</ref><ref name="metropolis">''Halo 2'', campaign level, [[Metropolis]]</ref> The Covenant leadership held the area in great importance due to the presence of [[Special Operations Unggoy]].{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

==Battle==
===Battle for the landing zone===
In October 2552, the battle began on the outskirts of New Mombasa, where UNSC and Covenant forces engaged each other in a bitter fight for control of a landing zone. The UNSC never gained full control of it, always being pushed back by the Covenant whenever they seemed to secure it and vice versa.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}} Before heading into the battle [[Jake Courage]] stated, "‘I hate blood and I hate violence. So what possessed me to choose to be a war photographer? Because I’m drawn to heroes. I’m drawn to the selfless act of someone putting their own life on the line for the sake of humanity. Because amongst the horror and the madness, I like to think I can show that some good can come out of something so horrific.’".<ref name="HPJC">[https://www.halopedia.org/Archive:Jake_Courage ''Halopedia'', Archive:Jake Courage]</ref>

===The UNSC forces status===
The remaining Covenant and UNSC ground forces surged forward into the city to secure whatever tactical advantage the ruins might have held. Elements from the [[77th Marine Regiment]] battled furiously for the ruins, with snipers from both sides taking a heavy toll upon the enemy.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

===The northern bridge falls===
[[File:Halo3 diorama 1352-1-.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Covenant advance is halted by the destruction of the northern bridge.]]
Despite a valiant defense by the Marines, they had no means to hold the bridge to the north. With [[Jiralhanae]] forces surging over it and hitting the Marines' vulnerable flanks, there was only one option remaining. On a 14:00 during a day of the battle, the order came through to destroy the bridge, thus forcing the enemy down into the valley where UNSC trenches lay to slaughter the enemy with fire from elevated positions. However, this was not the case as the Covenant forces had already begun to surge down the trenches with the destruction of the bridge.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

===The hill===
The defense of the hill was the most ferocious and bloody engagement of the battle; two thirds of the defending UNSC forces became casualties at this bottleneck. After the second bridge was destroyed, the trenches at the foot of the hill, despite a last-ditch defensive measure, came under heavy attack, garnering heavy Marine casualties.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

===Snipers===
Snipers from both sides battled for control, with UNSC snipers fighting on one end of the destroyed southern bridge and Covenant [[Kig-Yar Sniper]]s halting Marines outside the landing zone before being routed by UNSC infantry and tanks.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

===The final night===
During the final night of the engagement, [[Lieutenant]] [[John Tippett]]'s platoon was pinned down by Covenant patrols hunting them, leading to them having to go dark, where they waited seven hours for [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-II]] [[John-117]]{{Ref/Note|Id=John|Due to the event happening in October after the Mombasa Tether fell, John-117 could not be present during the battle as he was present at the Battle of Installation 05. Therefore, this is not a reliable source. However, as the only source available it should be taken as canon until a more official source gives information.}} to reach and assist them.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1zWeaVZpsM ''Believe'', Hunted]</ref>

===The seventh day===
On the seventh day of fighting, the [[506th Tank Regiment]] was tasked with securing the road to the southern bridge span. While outnumbered, they took their objective, leaving a path for the second wave of Marine infantry to follow.{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

Eventually [[Spartan-II]] [[John-117]]{{Ref/NoteReuse|John}} arrived, and on top of "The Hill" John-117 allowed his own capture, arming an [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|plasma grenade]] while gripped in the hands of a [[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] surrounded by Jiralhanae forces.{{Ref/Reuse|BM}}{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}  It was this moment that Jake Courage took his last photo, a photo of the Master Chief's{{Ref/NoteReuse|John}} [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI]] helmet up-close.{{Ref/Reuse|XJake}} [[Major]] [[Pawel Czernek]] was in an overturned [[M12 Chaingun Warthog|M12 Warthog]] firing its [[M41 Vulcan]] around that time.{{Ref/Reuse|BM}}

==Aftermath==
[[File:Time to Believe.jpg|300px|thumb|right|John-117 supposedly at the Second Battle of Mombasa.]]
===Awards===
[[Corporal]] [[James Dessen]] despite being killed in action, due to field reports of the 77th Marine Regiment, was posthumously awarded the [[Legion of Honor|UNSC Legion of Honor]].{{Ref/Reuse|mombasa}}

===The Master Chief's fate===
John-117 was not actually killed during the battle. In reality, he was not present at this battle at all, being at the [[Battle of Installation 05]] with the {{UNSCShip|In Amber Clad}},<ref name="delta">''Halo 2'', campaign level, [[Delta Halo]]</ref> and after returning on November 17, 2552,<ref name="arrival">''[[Halo 3]]'', campaign level, [[Arrival]]</ref> went missing shortly after the [[Battle of Voi]] in November of 2552.<ref name="Halo">''Halo 3'', campaign level, [[Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo]]</ref>

===Legacy===
Helped by Jake Courage's son, [[John Courage|John]], a photography exhibition of his work during this battle toured the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/vxW-0NpF7zw ''Believe'', Shooting a Hero]</ref>

The site of this battle would be the location of a ceremonial burial of [[John-117]] in [[2590]], in which the coffin was empty.<ref name="Gravesite">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOLR4WjJqIs ''Believe'', Gravesite]</ref> This battle would be the subject of numerous interviews, with at least one in [[2595]] at the site itself,{{Ref/Reuse|Gravesite}} and some at the [[Museum of Humanity]] in [[2610]].{{Ref/Reuse|BM}} 

The battle was also the primary subject of the [[John-117 Monument]]. Which began creation in [[2607]], and was finished in 2610, where the diorama was created using historical records of the battle to make sure it was accurate, created by the hands of humans.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cN7Kr0Ji4s ''Believe'', Believe: The John 117 Monument]</ref>

==Participants==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
===UNSC===
====Military Personnel====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Branch
! Rank
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
| rowspan="14" |[[UNSC Marine Corps]]
|[[Corporal]]
|[[James Dessen]]
|KIA
|-
|[[Sergeant]]
|[[Thomas Chang]]
|KIA via Covenant air assault
|-
|[[Private]]
|[[Caio Zanato]]
|Survived, promoted
|-
|[[Major]]
|[[Pawel Czernek]]
|Survived
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Lieutenant]]
|[[John Tippett]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Niraj Shah]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Lance Corporal]]
|[[T. B. Williams]]
|Unknown
|-
| rowspan="7" |Unknown
|[[Ian Callahan]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Thomas P. Porter]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Jackson Law]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Sian Wong]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Russel Tinnier]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Thomas C. Meyer]]
|Survived
|-
|[[Emmanuel Lomax|Emmanuel "Emmet" Lomax]]
|Survived
|-
|[[UNSC Navy]]
|[[Master Chief Petty Officer]]
|[[John-117]] {{c|supposedly}}
|Survived
|}

====Civilians====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
|[[Jake Courage]]
|KIA via grenade
|}
{{Col-2}}

===Covenant===
During the Battle, the UNSC identified several Covenant soldiers with [[EC|EC#]] classifications.
====Military Personnel====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Branch
! Rank
! Name
! Status<!--This refers to their status after the battle, not their overall status-->
|-
| rowspan="7" |Unknown
|[[Jiralhanae Chieftain]] 
|[[B-010-233]]
|KIA via SMG fire
|-
|[[Jiralhanae Stalker]]
|[[B-021-331]]
|KIA
|-
|[[Jiralhanae War Chieftain]] 
|[[B-054-846]]
|KIA via sniper fire from T. B. Williams
|-
|[[Jiralhanae Minor]] 
|[[B-113-421]]
|Unknown
|-
|[[Kig-Yar Sniper]]
|[[J-011-422]]
|Unknown
|-
|[[Special Operations Unggoy]]
|[[G-020-055]]
|Unknown
|-
|[[Mgalekgolo]]
|[[H-133-185]]
|Unknown
|}
{{Col-end}}

==Production notes==
The Second Battle of Mombasa was portrayed in the ''[[Believe]]'' advertising campaign created by [[Microsoft Studios]] to promote ''Halo 3''. The game and subsequent media establish that John-117 never returned to Mombasa; instead, the distant city of [[Voi]] (around 140 kilometers northwest) serves as the primary battleground for control of [[the Portal]]. However, the [[Museum of Humanity]] has since been canonized in the ''[[Halo: Reach Limited Edition|Limited]]'' and ''[[Halo: Reach Legendary Edition|Legendary Editions]]'' of ''[[Halo: Reach]]''.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Halo3 panoramaA 001-1-.jpg|Marine fire teams defeat Covenant forces outside the landing zone.
File:Halo3 panoramaC 001-1-.jpg|Marines fall under the relentless advance of the Covenant.
File:Halo3 diorama 0749-2-.jpg|The snipers of the 77th Marines pick off Covenant soldiers from their elevated position.
File:Halo3 panoramaB 006-1-.jpg|The 506th Tank Regiment arrives, relieving the beleaguered UNSC forces.
File:Halo3 panoramaD 001-1-.jpg|John-117 is triumphantly held aloft the Jiralhanae Chieftain
File:Halo3 panoramaA 096.jpg|The Marines of the 77th Regiment engage Jiralhanae forces.
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Believe]]'' {{1st}}

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

{{Engagements in the Battle for Earth}}